LANSING, MI (WHTC-AM/FM, Jun. 26, 2026) – Unemployment rose along the Lakeshore and across the state last month.
In not seasonally-adjusted numbers disclosed on Thursday by the Michigan Department of Technology, Management and Budget, joblessness stood at 5.2 percent in May, up seven tenths of a percentage point from April, and a tenth higher than last year. Locally, those figures stood at 4.2 percent for both Ottawa and Allegan counties, up eight tenths and five tenths, respectively from the previous month, but down six tenths and eight tenths, respectively, from this time in 2025.
While state officials say regional labor markets were largely influenced by seasonal labor force gains in May, Dr. Brian Long, Director of Supply Management Research with the Seidman College of Business at Grand Valley State University, believes that another factor needs to be considered.
These figures were compiled through Local Area Unemployment Statistics from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics
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